If my test car this week looks familiar, but you don’t recognize the name, the problem is not with your TV set. You may or may not recall, but Infiniti changed all their vehicle names for 2014. All their cars start with Q, SUVs start with QX. I am positive Nissan did this just to jack with me since they know I hate numbers and/or letters on vehicles.
I am behind the wheel this week of the 2014 Infiniti Q60S. It comes in a coupe, like the G37 coupe of 2013 and before, but I have the model with the retractable hardtop. A year or so ago when the Q50 came out, the rumors were that the G37 was getting killed off, but instead, Nissan decided to continue on, changing the name but little else, except dropping the price big time.
Under the hood, we have the carryover 3.7-liter V6 that is putting out 325-horses. This is the S model, and it only comes with the 6-speed manual transmission. Also with the S, you get 19” wheels, a large and loud exhaust, and some awesome seats. I am driving the rear-wheel drive, but it does come with all-wheel drive.
The retractable roof works very well and is all set in under 30 seconds. The top is a 3-piece configuration. When you engage the top, the trunk opens backwards, and the top stacks into the trunk, then the trunk closes itself. Like almost all retractable hardtop ragtops, with the top down, the trunk is extremely limited. This car is a little louder with the top down than most luxury convertibles, and the wind noise was greater than I wished it were, but not unbearable.
Being a luxury car, the Q60S comes well equipped. The leather seats are comfortable for the driver thanks to 12 different adjustments. The front passenger gets an 8-way power seat. You get pushbutton start and a power tilt steering wheel with controls. The interior is a little old school to me and it is one of the few cars I have driven in a while that actually has an ashtray. Don’t let me mislead you, the interior is nice, it is just that I have had a number of G37s in the past and nothing has really changed.
This car doesn’t have a single option on it, everything is standard equipment including the navigation system with real-time traffic and weather. You get rear parking assist, and a rear camera, plus a terrific Bose stereo system that features speakers in the front headrests. This is especially nice with the top down. It has a back seat, and you could put two average size people in the back seat. If they don’t know each other well when they load in, they will soon.
The Bluetooth works great, you get LED headlights, voice recognition, and a host of safety features including pop-up rollbars, driver, and passenger side-impact airbags and side-curtain airbags. Large front brakes come with the S-model, and they work great. There are a few things missing, like blind spot monitoring, and air-conditioned seats, but for the price, it’s OK.
The Q60S has a rigid chassis while keeps the car tight even without the stiffness of the hardtop being up, and it corners great. The exhaust sounds awesome, it’s music to my ears top up or top down. This has a real sports car-like feel and it is a joy to drive.
Gas mileage is so-so, acceleration is good, and the transmission shifts smoothly, with an easy to push clutch. It was a bit refreshing not to have electric power steering for a change and having a little more control of the car. Driving dynamics are very good and there is little to complain about on this car.
Given that I just had the BMW 435i retractable hardtop last week, it is impossible not to draw comparisons. The Infiniti has more horsepower, although I don’t like the Q60 interior as well. The operation of the top is very similar. I rate on value as well as other aspects of the car, and the Q60S is almost $13,000 cheaper, making it an outstanding buy.
If I have any concerns about this car, it’s resale value. If you plan to keep it a long time, that is not an issue.